a poem for him.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and bereft,
I am not there. I have not left.

~I am going to miss you oh so much Grandpa Carl. I have such wonderful memories of you and hold each and every one of them dear and close to my heart.~
Love you always,
Your girl... Maggie Amanda

An A-W-A-R-D!!!

Guess what?

I received an AWARD!!!!

From who, you might ask?

Well, from the darling.

talented.

sweet.

ever-so-gracious...

Miss Rachel over at "A Little Bit Vintage" - that's who!!! (Thanks Rach!)

The splen-diddly-endid award is:

And I am SUPER STOKED about it because it is my FIRST BLOGGY AWARD!!!

So here are the rules (yes, there are rules! I am totally digging it!)

1. Thank and link back to the blog that gave you the award. (I love ya Rachel!)

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 5 great bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers to let them know you have given them an award. (My favorite part!)

Ok.... so on with the show.... 7 things about me:

1. When I drink a can of pop, I open it (duh!) and immediately twist and turn 'til the pop tab comes off and put it IN THE CAN! I am an idiot. I know. I have almost choked many times on Mister Pop Tab, but it totally hasn't stopped the nast habit. (Sorry!)

2. I like to sleep on a cold pillow, so many times during the night I will wake up. Flip over my pillow. And rest my head on the cooler side of the pillow. Hmmmm... strange? Maybe. A good nights sleep? Oh YEAH!

3. I have a very hard time turning down a dare. I may make a fool of myself, but a dare is a dare and I dare not turn it down!

4. I LOVE to ride horse! You may already know this, but I wanted to share it anyways! This past January I had the chance to ride horse on the beach and it was probably one of the best experiences ever!!! We soared! It felt magical... and I can still hear the horses hooves in the wet sand... it was miraculous. Pictures? Ummm... yeah, the camera was in a truck somewhere back at the ranch. :-( Boo! (Riding bareback at the Chase farmstead!)

5. I love to go to the fair. We have an amazing State Fair here in grand ole' Minnesota and it pretty much is the hugest thang EVER! The food is my favorite part! (Cheese curds. Corn dogs. Deep fat fried candy bars? Not so much!)

6. When I was a nurses aide at a nursing home, I took care of a woman who not only had met, shook hands and shared a beverage with ELVIS, but he even kissed her! (She wouldn't tell me where... Hmmm...) Sometimes when I would get her dressed in the morning I would sing "you Ain't Nothin' But A Hound dog...." in my best Elvis voice! It made her smile :-) This very woman was also a pilot back in her day! I loved her!

7. I am so glad I started a blog! Do I have umpteen followers? No! Do I blog everyday? No! But do I get joy out of meeting amazing women and reading their stories? YES YES YES! This has been such a wonderful journey for me, and I have met some pretty outstanding women... I feel so blessed to have found them, and even more blessed that they found me and took time to stop and say "Hey!" So for all of you AWESOME CHICAS out there : Thanks for blessing little old me! You have made my day! :-)

---->Oooooo.... Now I get the pleasure of awarding 5 lovelies..... So, here they are (in no particular order):

~1. Christi at Grey Umbrella

~2. Alyss at Oh What A Day It Is Today

~3. Andi at Jane Of All Crafts

~4. Melissa at The Scarlet Cardinal

~5. Dawn at Beyond Grace

*** Have a BLESSED Easter y'all!***

Love Love.

~Maggie

Tea on Tuesday...

Hey Y'all,

~Today I am linking up with my sweet friend Christi at Grey Umbrella.... Head on over to her place, you are going to love it! She's the best!~

~So, for our chat over tea.... I am going to drink Green Tea with a squirt of lemon and dollop of honey... how about you?~

~Back to the chat.... I am super excited to tell you that my sweet Josie had her 1st major haircut yesterday - at an actual salon - with a sucker - screaming - kicking - and smirking in the mirror...~

~It started out a bit scary for all of us as she was NOT taking part in any of the to do's I had planned! Her hair is CRAZY and needs to be trimmed (heavily) especially since any accessory that goes in her hair comes out and ends up in her mouth! Eeek! I want to see her baby blues and so does the rest of the world... so this mama was willing to do whatever it takes. Ultimately that meant having her sit on my lap, letting her play with my car keys, and continuing to point out the very large jar of suckers for "good customers!" Tee hee heee... she was a champ!~

AND..........

~TA DA!!!!!!!!~
~It turned out DARLING!!!~
{She looks so much like me at that age it's kinda creepy!!!}

~I LOVE THIS GIRL!! We had an extra special mommy/Josie day and even squeezed in a nap! (ALLELUIA it felt great!)~

--->Right about now is when you and I would notcie my dog, Harley, freaking out on the deck - pacing, whimpering, licking his fur... I would tell you "Hey had to have his tick/flea/mosquito medicine and would like to lay down and have a massive tantrum! Toddler style!"

(He HATES the stuff and it makes him super nervous - doesn't hurt him - just makes him want to crawl out of his skin! Poor pup!<---

~Have a Stupendous day my friend!~
xoxo,

Maggie

the best EVER!!!

This morning I cried. A lot!

Not a bad, sad cry... but a happy, joyful, grateful, morning of my birthday cry!

It was good. I promise!

Today is the day! I am 29 years old and feeling beyond blessed!

My husband has gone out of his way to make this birthday the BEST EVER and I feel so incredibly lucky and honored to be his wifey!!!

(Last Summer - post kayak date!)

Part of my morning cry also includes my precious Mama!!!

She had given me a birthday present and card and instructions to NOT OPEN UNTIL APRIL 19th! She even called yesterday and said "You opened it didn't you?!" And I, innocent as can be said "NO!" Even though it was extremely difficult to have it sitting. watching my every move. waiting. to be opened! (I was the child who knew what every present was for Christmas because I had snooped! Dug! Pre-opened all of them!)

So, I open the gift and my eyes welled with tears as she had sent me a BEAUTIFUL cross necklace with a silver - engraved disc reading "Blessed" behind it.... and on the back:

Love,

Mom.

Thinking about how very special I felt opening this gift made me sob!

My mama is one in a million! Without her I wouldn't be the person I am today. We have seen each other through thick and thin, the good, bad and ugly and I love her more than words!

I hope that today you feel special and loved too.... Off to celebrate!!!

~Maggie

girls gotta do...

{Josie mimicking mommy "Noooooooooooooooooooo..."}

For some strange reason, this week was just... oh, how shall I say... "exhausting!"

There was a lot going on,

much to do,

and we had to stay inside because of the cold weather (sad faces all around!)

This gets me thinking about fun activites to do with the kids though:

**Crafts (one of my fav's!)

**Puzzles to put together (we love the Giwhoppin' floor puzzles)

**Baking! (Can I get an AMEN!?)

**Playdoh (not a snack miss Josie!)

**Dance parties (they like to laugh at my sleek moves!)

and of course - Napping!

Today is bitter cold - rainy - and what is this!? a snowflake!???

So I took the kids to Target!

And as an extra special treat we went to McDonalds (a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do)

and I let them play in the "playland!"

It was just the us, Ronald McDonald and the enormous germ infested jungle gym...

All were happy as clams!

I hope you all have a super weekend....

Hugs and Kisses,

Me.

A cup of Java...

Hello friend!

So, if we were meeting for coffee this morning (afternoon, actually) I would ask you how you are enjoying this lovely Spring weather? I have taken the kids to the park just about every day and by the time we get home, eat lunch and read a few books they are completely exhausted! (It's a good thing!) I, myself am actually pretty tuckered out by the end of the day too... but am in love with the fresh air.

Seeing things blooming makes me rejoice! Watching the snow melt away gives me a sense of renewal.... I wish we had forsythia in bloom here.... but we don't. However, my dear Aunt in Georgia knows a thing or two about "Yellow Bells" and was sweet enough to share with me some of her snapshots she got while in NC last weekend:

BE STILL MY HEART!!!! (Thanks for sharing Cathy!)

I would also tell you that my sweet Buster girl thinks the deck is pretty much AWESOME, RADICAL, TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL! As soon as we bust open the screen door - she is right there checking out the scenery - and looking between the cracks down at the cement! Such a curious cat!

(Yes she is wearing tennis hoes and pj's - that is how she rolls!)

Better scoot .... the kids are going to start waking up soon!

Thanks for stopping by... sorry to "sip and run!"

xxoo,

Maggie

I have found myself complaining a lot today, and really want to keep things in perspective. So I am sitting down to forget all that is negative - and breath in some positive!!! Keeping the glass half full today folks.

I am so thankful for: ~My loving husband. He brings out the best in me! I love you sweetie! ~BuStEr... you bring me the utmost joy my sweet babe! ~The frogs. In the swamp. Croaking and looking for love :-) ~Green grass in the near future! ALLELUIA! ~Fresh food off of the grill. ~Seeing the awe in my daughters face when she steps onto the deck! I think she forgot it was there because it was covered in snow *** ~Homemade banana bread (eating a slice as we speak!) ~My health. ~A sun that rises and sets each day. ~Birds at the feeder. (Chicka-dee-dee-dee) ~Easter crafts completed by children :-) (Adorable!)

~This pictures brought a huge smile to my face - had to share it!

Happy Monday to you all.

Life is Oh So Good!

~Maggie

some confessions for you.

~Hey'all (OK... I am not southern, but my grandma was BIG TIME and so all of us granddaughters would walk in and say "Hey y'all!" to her! AND I am named after Maggie Valley, North Carolina... so I kind of feel ok about saying it...

ANYWAYS, {wow! what a tangent} here are some confessions for you to feast on! Enjoy!

~I really love it when people have special license plates made - personalized ones, ya know? They crack me up - and I love to guess what the mystery {if there is one} behind it is. What would yours be??? Me? I think I would have mine say BUSTER'S MOM {is that too long?}

~I have started several knitting projects over the Winter - and haven't finished any of them. SERIOUSLY! What's my prob?

~I love Ziploc bags {especially gallon sized} and would store everything in them if I could - especially the ones where you can write what the "Contents" are... {please don't laugh at me! I know I am a freak!}

~One time, when I was a little girl, a HUGE black lab "KUJO!" chased me down - barking - snarling - ready to infect me with his rabies {just a guess} and I biked as fast as I could, then ditched the bike and ran into my neighbors house {completely just let myself in - no knock, no doorbell, no hi how are ya? NADA} and about plowed over my neighbor boys (Nathan, actually, from the rifle girl story) dad... Slammed the door shut and sobbed! His dad made sure I had the all clear and I ran home! The saddest part? The "play" keys I had used in my handle bars (like they where in an ignition) VANISHED! Never saw them again! I think the dog ate them! Sweet Nathan did track down my Huffy though, and walked it home to me! God Bless him! Hope everyone is having a grand Thursday! I took the kids to the park this morning - we have been having almost 60 degree weather and it feels A-MAZING! Ready for a fun, relaxing, outdoor-filled weekend! We are trying out a friends Burly - to see what Josie thinks!

Love,

Me.

just because.

she brings me the utmost joy.

i am proud to call her daughter.

i am honored to be her mama.

Today...

Today:

~I am having a really good hair day!

(In my world that makes for a happy mama!)

~Playgroup was outside.

With another (AWESOME) mother.

On the playground.

In the sun.

With coffee in hand.

It was BLISS - 'nough said!

~I was notified (yesterday) that my dress from Shabby Apple that I won HERE is on it's way to my house! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! :-)

~The (STANKY!!!) dog has been bathed.

Brushed.

And is drying out in the sun on the deck.

(It is amazing what one can get done during nap time!)

~My daughters all-time favorite Dora shoes have been scrubbed free of dog poop (gag me!) and are also drying out in the sun!

(Your welcome Josie!)

~The LARGE iced mocha that I had at 11:00 AM was delic!!!

(And probably is the reason why the dog is cleaned and so are the Dora shoes

***Hello, caffeine? It's Maggie! I LOVE YOU!)

What are you doing today?

Getting any Spring cleaning accomplished?

Ta Ta for now...

Me

{STAY COOL!}

Saddle Up - It's COFFEE TIME!

Happy Tuesday Friends!

I am linking up with Amy today - so go over and show her some love!

So, if we were sitting having coffee I would first tell you how much I love this picture of the goose floating in the coffee! :-) The colors make me happy! And so does Mister Goose!

Then I would tell you HAPPY SPRING!

I had the kids outside this morning for an hour of pure bliss!!!

We went for a walk, colored with sidewalk chalk, played catch, played a little soccer...

~OH it was GLORIOUS!~

-What have you been doing today? (Need a refill on your java?)-

I would go on to tell you that my daughter sees no need to have a baby swing anymore - she is all about the "big kid" swings! Even if that does mean mama needs to get her on and off of it because otherwise shrills of terror come out of her mouth!

(Kinda wonder what the neighbors think of Miss Thang!?!? Sorry folks! She's all TODDLER!)

I hope each of you has a super-great Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by,

Maggie :-)

Ohhh what a glorious weekend!

--->So.. as mentioned in the previous post, the FAB 5 got to get together for a little shindig this past Sunday - and guess what??? The chickies brought a tiara for lil old me to wear, gifties, and we had a pre-birthday BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

In case you didn't know, I really LOVE my birthday! Not in an icky, snotty, stuck-up way... I just enjoy it!

I was a 10 lb baby (on April 19th - the actual day) had really bad jaundice and was allergic to milk! It wasn't so pretty right away, but in about 11th grade things straightened out!

And now I am here:

Whoop Whoop!

*** oh yes, one more thing:

Ummm yeah, I about passed out when I opened this gift from Miss Bethie (the "dula extraordinaire") YOU ROCK!

~A ginormous THANK YOU to the Fabulous 5 for such a special day!~

I am truly blessed to have each of you in my life! Bring on the JUNE ROAD TRIP!

xx's and oo's,

Maggie

The FABULOUS five!!!

This Sunday I get the pleasure of spending the afternoon with 4 of my dearest friends!

We call ourselves the Fab 5 and have been "together" for years!

The ties that bind us are beautiful, as are these women!

I have known Adria and Beth since I was a wee lass - and actually Beth was in the delivery room when I gave birth to Buster! She was amazing, and I won't mention what she went thru - let's just say a puke bucket and cool washcloth were key essentials to Josie's welcome into this universe! God Bless You BETHIE!

This was taken several weeks before I had Josie and is one of my most treasured photos of us! I ADORE these women!!!

I hope you all have a SPLENDID weekend!

Happy April 1st - no foolin around! :-)

Love,

Maggie